(Karnataka)Mills to govt: Buy rice from state’s pvt sector

Close on the heels of chief minister Siddaramaiah’s statement that the government is ready to procure rice from the private sector within Karnataka to fulfil its pre-poll guarantee of Anna Bhagya, Karnataka Rice Millers Association on Monday urged the CM to hold a meeting with rice mill owners from Mysuru, Mandya and Hassan districts and buy the required rice from them.

The association held a meeting in Bengaluru and resolved to appeal to the CM to buy the rice available within Karnataka. Savitri Purushotham, working president of the association, said they will soon meet Siddaramaiah and apprise him of the scenario.

“June-July is off-season for rice in Karnataka. Had the government decided to launch the programme in November, we could have provided any quantity. Also, not all rice varieties grown in Karnataka are eligible for procurement. Only those cultivated in Mandya, Mysuru and Hassan will be eligible. Sona Masuri variety cultivated in Kalyana Karnataka would be expensive. At least half the required quantity of rice will be available in the southern districts of Mysuru, Mandya and Hassan. The government must hold a meeting with the mill owners from these districts,” Purushotham said.

The rice mill owners demanded that the government, as per the Centre’s rules, leave rice bran and broken rice for them.

This article has been republished from The Times of India